MAP 5 Year Celebration

• Tuesday, October 2, 2018 6:00 PM  9:00 PM
• WeWork White House1440 G Street NorthwestWashington, DC, 20005United States (map)

On October 2nd, 2018, Millennial Action Project celebrated five years of transcending political partisanship at an anniversary event hosted in Washington, DC. The evening reception highlighted MAP’s work launching Future Caucuses in Congress and twenty-seven state legislatures, and awarded two young young elected officials the inaugural MAP Rising Star award for achievements in bipartisanship.

To kick off the program, attendees enjoyed a video showcasing the work of MAP and its Future Caucuses over the last half-decade.

MAP President and Founder Steven Olikara took to the stage to outline MAP’s vision and accomplishments over the last 5 years, “The Founding Fathers counted on new generations of leaders reinvigorating our democracy and transcending the political divide. We sought to actualize that vision by working with young lawmakers.”

“Today, MAP is in 27 states, we are in Congress, we have over 800 young lawmakers we’ve engaged, and today Millennial Action Project is the largest bipartisan organization of young lawmakers in the country.” With the creation of MAP and the Future Caucus, legislators have gained a vehicle by which they could identify key issues facing their constituents and develop practical solutions, come together to develop bipartisan solutions, and push America forward.

Further into the evening, MAP was proud to award two state legislators with the Rising Star Award, Senator Frank LaRose (R-OH) and Representative Caroline Simmons (D-CT). This award recognizes their outstanding leadership in enacting bipartisan legislation at the state-level, as well as their ongoing commitment to working with their colleagues across the aisle. Additionally, both legislators are members of the Democracy Reform Task Force, which aims to make the government more accountable, transparent, and functional.

Senator Frank LaRose represents the 27th Senate district of Ohio and is the Co-Chair of Ohio’s Future Caucus. He believes that each generation of America will have their own challenges to face, and offered during his acceptance remarks that the challenge for millennials, “. . . will be making our civics work again, making government function again for the people of the United States of America.”

Rep. Caroline Simmons represents the 144th district of Connecticut’s state legislature. In her remarks, she highlighted her accomplishments working across the aisle, “We’re all on the same team, and in the end, all that really matters is doing what is best for our constituents and putting the safety and well-being of our state first,” she shared.

As Millennial Action Project celebrated five years of millennial leadership, it also looked towards the future. If the current pipeline of young elected officials such as Sen. LaRose and Rep. Simmons is any indication, there is much hope in our country for overcoming the partisanship and gridlock that are holding us back.

Posted in Rising Star Awards

Earlier Event: September 26

Oregon Legislators Launch Future Caucus

Later Event: October 6

Women in Government Panel